


solar wave

by em arzhur (gwenynnefydd)



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Curtain Fic, Family Bonding, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Minor References to Treasure Planet (2002), Solar Surfer (Treasure Planet)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-04-17 07:29:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21703675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwenynnefydd/pseuds/em%20arzhur
Summary: Following the building of the Bajoran lightship,  Ben and Jake decide to take on another project.
Relationships: Benjamin Sisko & Jake Sisko
Comments: 13
Kudos: 10
Collections: Star Trek Holidays 2019





	solar wave

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spacedadpicard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacedadpicard/gifts).

The Bajoran summer was always hot. When Ben had first chance to experience it, it had left him wishing the prophets would chose exactly that moment to spirit him away, out of the sweaty dampness of his uniform and the burning glare of Bajor's sun. The capital, Ashalla, was always the worst, with the heat evaporating water from the numerous water features, causing it to be both hot and incredibly humid. Whilst the Bajorans could enjoy playing in the water and cooling off, it was tragically not socially acceptable for Starfleet personnel to strip off and join them, and especially not the Emissary of the Prophets.

Jake, however, had always enjoyed being on Bajor in the summer. Or rather, he enjoyed not being on Deep Space Nine, where the summer months brought a crush of traders and tourists, cacophonous and claustrophobic to even the sociable Jake. Therefore, Ben compromised - in the summer, he rented a house near the water, but far away from Ashalla, on the outskirts of the smaller town of Tojzan, where he wouldn't be hounded by the Kai for being in the water. The surrounding area also provided Jake with plenty to do - whilst he was now too old to go running through the tall grass in search of adventure, the town itself held a few summer schools, and a nearby Starfleet compound meant Jake could socialize with cadets his age if he was ever bored.

One summer, Jake had to him with head filled with ideas and talk of a "solar surfer", enthusing that Cadet Hawkins had one and it was _so_ cool, and he'd _made _it, and asked as Ben had enjoyed making the lightboat with him, would it maybe be possible for Ben to help him make this?

And that was how Ben found himself in his shirtsleeves in a Starfleet scrapyard, up to his elbows in grease with Jake figuring out how best to build the surfer Jake had asked for.

"Jim was showing me the wiring for the engine, how to join the solar sail to it and all," Jake was saying, as he inspected the coils of wire he'd salvaged."But I'm not sure how to attach the engine in the first place..."

He was just as dressed down as Ben was - while Ben was in a shirt with his Starfleet jumpsuit tied around his waist, Jake was in a pair of dungarees, with a tie-dye shirt underneath knotted at the waist. On the bridge of his nose perched a pair of black round sunglasses - something that Ben did not have and deeply regretted not bringing as the Bajoran sun bore down on them.

"We'll just need to weld it." Ben replied, as he carefully fitted the engine to the back of the board. "Kasidy lent me a phase welder when I was on her ship-"

"You were on her ship?" Jake asked, with a grin. "Things are moving fast, I take it?"

Ben laughed. "It was only her _ship._"

"You wouldn't show her around the _Defiant _if you weren't serious."

"Point taken." Turning, Ben opened the case of tools he'd brought with him. Kasidy's phase welder lay sat on top of a few rolls of electrical tape, screws, and other tinkering items. Ben did not immediately go for the welder, instead picking through the tools and withdrawing a pair of safety goggles and tough work gloves.

"Can't I weld it on?" Jake asked, as Ben donned the items, inspecting them for faults.

"No power tools until you're eighteen." he replied, not even looking up. Jake rolled his eyes.

"Rom let me use the wave modulator to fix the dabo tables last week!"

"A wave modulator is a much easier tool to use than this." He paused, and gave the welder a few test blasts. "Also, no hanging around in Quark's until you're eighteen."

"I don't hang out there to _gamble._ I was with Nog. The tables went out when we were studying."

"Studying?" Ben raised one eyebrow. Jake flushed, and looked away.

"Among... other things." When Ben raised another eyebrow, Jake hurried on. "Nothing bad! It's just... Nog leaves for training at the end of the month, and..."

With a soft sigh, Ben reached out, and covered Jake's hand with his gloved one. "You'll be alright."

"I know. But I'll miss him. Even with letters, or subspace calls."

"I understand." Ben squeezed his hand. "Maybe if we finish this, you can show it to Nog before he leaves?"

Jake grinned, and nodded.

Fixing the solar surfer did not take long. The welding was over withing a few minutes, although much of that was Ben checking on Jake after he had to step away from the fumes. Within an hour, Jake was finishing up the final wiring, and Ben was mounting the solar sail on the frame. It wasn't big or elegant, more the size and shape of an average windsurfing sail and board with a bulky engine attached to the bow, but the green sail shone in the sunlight, and the gold-sheen battens and black shortboard reflected the mounds of junk that surrounded them. It was theirs, and Ben could not help but feel warm as he watched Jake's proud smile when the final wire slid into place with a small click.

"Ready to take it out on a test run?" he asked, and Jake all but jumped on the board, fingers wrapping firmly around the boom as if he's done this a thousand times before.

Jake pushed down the engine pedal on the back of the board with his heel, and with a sputtering roar and a lick of flame, it burst into life. Ben watched as Jake kicked off into the air with a loud whoop, the sails of the surfer glimmering like a sheet of emeralds in the midday Bajoran sun. Ben watched him fly, pride and affection blooming in his chest, grinning as Jake sped up debris piles like they were ramps, and cheered and whooped as he flew around the junkyard. Jake flew close at one point, reaching down, and Ben reached up and managed to brush his fingers against Jake's as he whizzed by.

After five minutes, Ben yelled up at Jake to let him know to land, so they could see how the surfer held up. Jake did one last loop of the yard, but just as he rounded the final corner, the surfer gave an allmighty shudder. Jake's eyes widened, and he turned the sail sharply, but the board shot forward, scraping the side of a jutting piece of abandoned wall. The surfer rolled over, Jake's feet left the board, the engine whined and sputtered, and _oh no-_

“Jake!”

Ben was running towards Jake before his mind had even registered that his son was falling. Jake did not scream or shout as he fell - perhaps he was too surprised by the knock - but he did cry out as he hit a metal sheet piled on debris, and groaned as he rolled down the slope and ended up in a heap on the dusty ground. The solar surfer bumped its way along the top of a ridge of scrap, before the engine sputtered and died, and it slid down the steep face and clattered to the floor. Heart in his throat, Ben quickly knelt down, mind racing through first aid and wound care and _ why didn’t he watch more closely _, but before he could do more than take Jake’s pulse, Jake was beginning to sit up, looking quite a bit sheepish.

“I’m okay.” Jake said, rubbing his elbow. “Just a bump on the elbow. Accidentally accelerated on that corner, and fell.”

Ben still did a full first aid investigation anyway, checking for scrapes and bruises, but Jake's assesment was sound - only the dust from the ground and Jake's embarrassed flush gave away there was ever an accident in the first place. He pulled Jake into a one arm hug, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Don't scare me like that again." he said, and Jake laughed.

"I promise." Jake leaned into the embrace for a few moments, before wriggling out of it and getting up off the ground. Ben rose to his feet as well, and brushed the dust off Jake's shoulders, who tolerated the fussing with an amused smile.

"Now," Ben said, with one last brush of dirt off Jake's shoulders. "let's have a look at that surfer. I think we might need to repaint the base, but let's hope the engine is still functional..."


End file.
